02:06 am - NFL picksEveryone else is doing it, so I'm going to give my picks for the first week of the NFL.

More people are quoting the Vegas lines than not, but a little research reveals that there is fairly extensive NFL betting in Hong Kong. They tend to use the Hang Cheng (known in the west as "Asian Handicapping") system. It looks very weird the first time you come to it in soccer, but if you're familiar with handicapping in Vegas then you'll catch on in a flash.

Effectively you put half your stake on at one handicap and the other half of your stake at a second handicap half a point away. If one of the handicaps covers the spread exactly, you get 95% of the half you bet on it returned - the point of the second bet is that it will give you a definite win or a definite loss. I think this offers better value by cutting out half of those pesky handicap ties that the bookies live for.

San Francisco at N.Y. GIANTS (+3 and +3.5)Philadelphia at TENNESSEE (-1 and -1.5)Jets at BUFFALO (+2.5 and +3)Cards at SKINS (-7.5 and -7)Raisins at BEARS (-4.5 and -4)Wizards at BRUINS (-10 and -9 3/4)Albion at ALEXANDRA (-0.25 and +0.25)Bargains at CLEARANCE SALE ($2.99 and below)Bush not at EARTH SUMMIT (0 and... er... 0)Louie Anderson at BUFFET (-25.5 and -30 by the time Louie's done with it)Professor Plum at CONSERVATORY (-1 and -0.5)Lead piping at PLUM'S SIDE (-1 Boddy, +1 Plum)Breakfast at TIFFANY'S (+1, Insightful)B at MAN (dinner dinner dinner dinner)chris at DICKSON.DEMON.CO.UK (-31337)Joke at END (fourth and goal)